Anxiety and stress are the main causes of teeth grinding and clenching otherwise known as temporomandibular (TMJ). It may always be in the back of your mind when thinking about your day. The more you fret and worry about it the more likely you will have a TMJ flare up. Here are some solutions for when bruxism occurs and ways to prevent it from damaging your oral health.
A TMJ flare up can occur after months or even years without teeth grinding. Bruxism is triggered by stress and anxiety and if you’re going through a tough time in your life or have faced extra stressful events, you may be at a greater risk of grinding your teeth. If you are dealing with relationships, school, careers, or personal issues, you may find yourself subconsciously grinding your teeth at night.
There are a few things you can try to prevent a TMJ flare up. The first is to practice clearing your mind before bed. Don’t go to bed worried or in a state of panic. That will increase the likelihood of teeth grinding while you sleep. While you sleep, your mind subconsciously decompresses all your worries and troubles. When you’re troubled, stressed out, or have anxiety, your mind will be affected while you sleep and release that energy in potentially harmful ways. One of these ways is teeth grinding as your body will react to the stress by grinding or clenching your teeth in your sleep.
This is a serious habit that can cause poor oral health in numerous ways. TMJ can wear down teeth, causing nerves to become exposed and extra sensitivity to hot/cold foods and liquids. You may also start to experience daily morning headaches. When you clench or grind your teeth your muscles are overworked and become tired. Your muscles will ache and that can radiate into your head, ears, and jaw giving you an unpleasant morning. In extreme cases of TMJ, your face structure may even shift over time when preventive measures aren’t put in place. If your teeth have been worn down, you’ll need to schedule a visit with your dentist for an expensive repair.
The best way to be prepared for a TMJ flare up is to wear a night guard while you sleep. You could purchase a boil-and-bite one on Amazon or your local drugstore but they offer the bare minimum protection and will need to be replaced every few months due to the poor material. Having a custom night guard will give you the max protection without sacrificing comfort. Your dentist may craft you one, but it will be very expensive and require a few visits to get your impressions and then to pick up the night guard. Fortunately, there are other options for a custom night guard.
SportingSmiles has been in business since 2009 crafting premium custom night guards. By ordering online you’ll receive a patented impression kit in which you’ll take easy impressions and then ship them back to the SportingSmiles lab with free 3-way shipping. Our dental tech experts can craft one of six custom night guards to prevent TMJ flare ups. These are the exact night guards your dentist will craft but at half the cost and without the need to schedule visits.
When you wear a night guard, it adds a barrier of protection to your teeth. These are designed to take the hardest poundings from clenching or the most intense grinding. Even if you suffer from bruxism, your teeth will be protected and you won’t have terrible side effects from all the grinding and clenching. Teeth grinding is triggered by stress and anxiety and when you’re protected that’s one less thing to worry about because even if it happens, your teeth and jaw will have the maximum defense.
